The tale of Irukashi
by Cariad Swoop
Summary: A young woman lives her life in secret, kept from the outside world other than two living people knowing of her existence. Those two people are her parents, Iruka and Kakashi. How is this possible? Why has she been kept secret?
1. Chapter 1

_**Irukashi**_

_Chapter One_

"Irukashi? Where are you? If you don't get your behind back here in _one_ minute, I'm going to –" the voice cut off, stopping the threat, leaving it hanging in the air. The half-angry, half-worried voice belonged to a tall man with skin tanned from long hours training outside. His brown hair was pulled up into a ponytail at the crown of his head and he had a long scar crossing the bridge of his nose set under brown eyes. His hitai-ate with the leaf village symbol adorned his forehead. The man let out a soft growl and looked around once again.

Another man, silver-haired and pale-skinned despite all of his own time in the sun, walked down the path towards him. His hitai-ate was drooped across one eye and most of his face was covered with a black mask. An amused expression shone from his visible eye as he walked up to stand next to the tan man.

"Did you lose her again, Iruka?" The man known as Iruka merely growled in response, his eyes flicking back and forth among the houses, searching for something. "How many times do I have to tell you that we really should put a leash or a tracking chip on the girl?" He chuckled lightly, a teasing lilt in his smooth voice. Iruka turned on him, glaring.

"Are you going to make fun of me or are you going to help me? I really don't need your teasing or your sarcasm, Kakashi; I need to know where she is!" Kakashi chuckled again, seemingly taking no offense to Iruka's venomous words, and wrapped his arm around the tan man's shoulders.

"She'll probably show up again in about five minutes or so Iruka, don't worry. She probably just saw a butterfly or something of the sort and decided to chase after it. You know that." Iruka sighed and nodded reluctantly, worry still etched into his features despite Kakashi's reassurances.

"Yes, I know. But there have been all those reports about bandits and rogue shinobi smuggling themselves into the Village and Irukashi is a very pretty girl, especially at her age, not to mention she is notorious for her kind and gentle nature that someone could take advantage of. And –" he broke off in a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping forward. Kakashi put a calming hand on his shoulder and chuckled softly.

"You always seem to forget that we trained Irukashi ourselves, Iruka. Don't worry, she'll be just fine. She knows her way around the neighborhood better than I know the back of my hand!" Kakashi's eye tilted up into a slight u-shape, making it appear like he was smiling even though you couldn't see the set of his mouth. "That was an impressive rant, by the way. Have you been practicing?" Iruka snorted, shoving Kakashi's arm away with a sour expression.

"Hey! Iruka-papa!" a voice called the two of them to attention. Both men turned their heads towards the sound and the tension in Iruka's shoulders relaxed. A young woman with very fair skin was walking down the small path leading up to their building. She had brown hair pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of her neck so that it hung down her back slightly. The edges of her hair held a silvery sheen that gave the young woman a unique, beautiful appearance. Her eyes were a light brown that sparkled slightly with content. In her arms she held a paper sack, filled to the brim with groceries of all sorts. She walked quickly over to them.

"Iruka-papa!" she smiled softly, coming to stand in front of the tan man. "I noticed that we were out of food again, so I ran to the grocery store for a few minutes. You should leave me a note or something when you notice we're getting low, okay?" Her eyes trailed over to the silver-haired shinobi and a stunning smile broke out across her face. "Kakashi-sensei! Hi! What are you doing back so soon? I thought you had a mission!"

"Well, Irukashi, I finished up with that mission this afternoon. And then Tsunade-sama read over my records and ordered me to take off tomorrow because I've been working too hard." Irukashi laughed softly, the sound like bells tinkling softly in the breeze.

"Again, Kakashi-sensei? You really need to start taking optional vacations! We don't want you getting stressed out, do we Iruka-papa?" She smiled over at the tan man. The expression on his face, however, made the smile disappear almost immediately.

"Irukashi," he began in a low tone, "how many times have I told you that you can't just go running off like that without telling me? Did you even think of the consequences that could have fallen upon all of us if someone had seen you? What were you thinking?" Irukashi's brown eyes narrowed at him and a frown marred her features.

"I was thinking that I didn't want you to _starve_!" she retorted tersely. Before he could respond, she continued "Pardon me if that's some new sin that I'm unaware of! Goodness, Iruka-papa! You and Kakashi-sensei have trained me to know how to protect myself against any number of enemies! That includes some sort of bandit or rogues that you think might attack me or kill me or whatever! You know, if you'd let me out of the house for more than five minutes at a time, instead of keeping me locked away inside like I'm some prisoner, then maybe I wouldn't want to run off so often!" People were starting to come out of their houses to find out what all the racket was about. Kakashi mentally cursed the curiosity of the human race and grabbed both Iruka and Irukashi's shoulders, using a displacement jutsu and getting them all inside the apartment that Iruka and Irukashi shared. None of this seemed to faze either of the quarrelers, much to Kakashi's disappointment.

"Irukashi! You know better than to speak to me like that! You know the only reason we keep you inside all the time is to protect you!" Irukashi's glare darkened fiercely and Iruka took a step back in surprise.

"Protect me? Protect me from _what_! People! I need interaction, Iruka-papa! Books can't satisfy a girl's desire to meet the people that inspired them! I want to meet all of the people you and Kakashi-sensei talk about! Like that Naruto boy o-or the new hokage, Tsunade-sama! The Third was the only person other than the two of you who knew I was alive and you were so busy _protecting me_ that you didn't even let me go to his funeral!" Tears leaked out of her brown eyes and she wiped at them angrily, turning her face so that she wasn't looking at either of them. A soft sigh escaped Kakashi's concealed lips and he leaned over next to Iruka's ear.

"You know Iruka, she has a point. A few of them, actually. We should introduce her to Tsunade at least. It hasn't been right of us to hide her away. And I'll take her training with Naruto, Sakura, and Sai. That's only four more people that know about her. If that goes well, we'll go off of that. And we don't have to tell the kids all the details about where she came from. Tsunade, though, has to know. She won't judge her, Iruka, I promise." Iruka hesitated visibly and then sighed, nodding his agreement reluctantly. Kakashi patted his shoulder in thanks. Iruka turned away and crossed his arms over his chest, sulking. Kakashi rolled his visible eye and turned to Irukashi.

"Come on, Iru-chan, dry your tears. Tomorrow, Iruka and I will take you to meet Tsunade. And then I'll get a mission for my team and you can tag along. How does that sound?" Irukashi's eyes lit up and she wiped the tear remnants off of her face.

"Really, Kakashi-sensei? Do…do you mean it?" she asked slowly, unsure. Kakashi chuckled softly, ruffling her hair gently.

"Of course, Iru-chan! Have I ever given you any reason to doubt me?" Irukashi shook her head slowly and then scowled slightly.

"No, Kakashi-sensei, you haven't." She jerked her head over to where Iruka was standing. "But _he_ has." Iruka threw his hands in the air, frustrated. Kakashi laughed and ruffled her hair again.

"Now, now, Iru-chan, be nice. So, what were you going to cook for dinner?" Irukashi's brown eyes lit up instantly and she hugged Kakashi tightly around the middle. Giggling happily, she picked up her bag of groceries and sped past both of them into the small kitchen.

"It's a surprise, Kakashi-sensei!" she called over her shoulder before disappearing. Kakashi chuckled softly and turned his attention back to the still-sulking Iruka.

"All you have to do is know exactly how to deal with her, Iruka. You'll get the hang of it eventually." Iruka's shoulders slumped and he let out a sigh, nodding slightly.

"You always tell me that and it has yet to happen. You're just better with her than I am." Iruka's face slowly changed into a grimace. "Are you sure that you're doing the right thing by taking her on a mission with _Naruto_? I'm not saying that he's not a great kid or anything, but after Sasuke left he got…different. And Sai? Do you really want him reporting Irukashi back to ROOT? Danzou _can't_ find out about her!" Kakashi patted him on the shoulder gently and shook his head.

"I told you, Iruka, I'm not telling Sai, Naruto, or Sakura about her past. Calm down. She'll be fine. I'll watch out for her. And besides, you have other things to worry about. Don't you have a field trip with the academy kids planned for tomorrow?" Iruka groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose to fight back an imminent migraine. Kakashi chuckled softly.

"All right, all right Kakashi, I trust you. Though I believe between trusting you and taking care of Irukashi, I'll die a very young death." Kakashi started laughing and Iruka couldn't help but join in. Irukashi walked in at that time, brandishing a wooden spoon threateningly.

"Do I have to remind you every night to go wash up before dinner?" Kakashi held up his hands in surrender and hurried back to the bathroom Iruka followed him, still laughing.

When both of them returned, their dinner was already sitting out waiting for them. Irukashi was sitting on their window seat, only showing part of her face as she looked out the window.

Sitting down, Kakashi called over to her "Irukashi, come away from there. You'll start up those rumors that we have a ghost in the building again." Irukashi rolled her eyes but obediently came away from the window and over to the table. She then turned her brown eyes up to Kakashi curiously.

"Kakashi-sensei? What is Tsunade-sama like? Is she anything like how the Third was?" she asked softly. Kakashi pulled his mask down and smiled at her. Irukashi smiled back. She loved it when her Kakashi-sensei took off his mask. It made him look so much less mysterious.

"Well, she was the Third's student, so he had a really big influence on her, I suppose. She's more of her own person. She is far and understanding, but you shouldn't make her mad, I'll warn you about that now."

"Ah, so what you're saying is that she has a temper just like Iruka-papa?" Irukashi asked with a sideways glance at Iruka, whose fork was poised to enter his mouth. He dropped the fork back onto his plate and gave her an exasperated look while Kakashi bit back a laugh.

"Yes, she does have a dangerous temper, Iru-chan." Kakashi's visible eye sparkled in amusement as she looked back over at him. "But it's a far cry worse than Iruka's." Irukashi's eyes widened in shock and horror and neither Iruka nor Kakashi could hold back their laughs.

"All right, Irukashi. You need to start eating so that you can get to sleep. You're going to meet your hokage tomorrow, so you'll need to be well-rested."

"Yes sir, Iruka-papa," Irukashi murmured obediently, beginning to eat. Kakashi smiled, leaning across the table to ruffle her hair before starting to eat his own food.

"So, other than scaring the pants off of Iruka today, Irukashi, what did you do to keep yourself entertained?" Irukashi smiled over at him and, in between bites, began telling him about her day.

Soon, all three of them were finished with their meals. After the men patted their stomachs and complemented Irukashi on her meal, Irukashi stood and began to collect all the dishes. Iruka put a hand on her arm and she stopped, looking over at him in confusion. Iruka smiled softly at her.

"I'll clean up tonight, Irukashi. You go ahead and get ready for bed." Irukashi's brown eyes softened and she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you, Iruka-papa. You're the best." Iruka's own brown eyes softened and he stood to begin gathering up all the dishes. Irukashi walked around the table to a still-maskless Kakashi and kissed him softly on the cheek as well. He smiled and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Goodnight, Kakashi-sensei. Goodnight, Iruka-papa. See you in the morning."

"Sweet dreams, Irukashi," they chorused as they watched her walk down the hallway that separated the bedrooms from the rest of the apartment. Iruka sighed, picking up his gathered dishes.

"I hope that you're right about Tsunade, Kakashi. I don't want this to upset Irukashi. I don't know what we'll do if Tsunade decides to send the ANBU or anyone else after her." Kakashi smiled slightly, pulling his mask up once again.

"Well, here's what we'll do tomorrow. I'll go in first and explain the severity of the situation. Surely she'll understand. And if she doesn't, I'll take Irukashi on the longest mission ever and you can contact us when everything has calmed down." Iruka sighed.

"Then we'll just pray that she understands. Have a save trip home, Kakashi. See you in the morning, bright and early if we know anything about Irukashi." Kakashi nodded his acknowledgement. The next time Iruka blinked, Kakashi was gone. Iruka sighed once more and took the dishes back to the kitchen.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Irukashi**_

_Chapter Two_

Irukashi took a deep breath of fresh air, letting out a happy breath as she recognized some of the familiar scents from when she lived here with Sarutobi-sama. She and Iruka lived on the outskirts of town in a building where shinobi were in and out all the time. Iruka once said he picked there because people were less likely to pay attention when all they wanted to do was sleep after a long mission. But none of the huge population smells reached them way out there and she could smell practically everything. Her head was buzzing with the knowledge of all the people around her and her nerves were hyper-active. She trembled once and gripped on to Iruka's hand a little tighter. He looked down at her and smiled softly, gripping her hand back.

"Are you excited, Irukashi?" he asked in amusement, trying to hide his growing apprehension as they climbed the long flight of stairs leading up to the hokage's office. Irukashi nodded rapidly, a stunning smile gracing her lips. Iruka's smile couldn't help but grow at the sight and even Kakashi, walking slightly in front of them, couldn't help but chuckle at the young teen's enthusiasm.

As they got closer and closer to the hokage's office, however, doubt started prickling at the back of Irukashi's brain. She suddenly noticed the worry in Iruka's eyes and the tense set of Kakashi's shoulders as he walked in front of them. All of the excitement she had been feeling was immediately replaced by anxiety and she pressed herself into Iruka's side, hiding her face in his shoulder.

"What if Tsunade-sama doesn't like me, Iruka-papa? What if she's upset with me for hiding and tries to take me away? What will we do?" the panicked tone in her voice made Iruka's eyes widen and he looked over to Kakashi in his own panic. Kakashi was worried at the sudden change in the young girl's mood and he smiled softly at her. He rubbed the trembling girl's back gently, trying to calm her down.

"Don't be silly, Iru-chan! What's not to like about you?" Irukashi looked up at him from Iruka's shoulder, her wide brown eyes swimming with tears. "Goodness, the both of you will look like the elders by the time you're forty." Kakashi laughed nervously as he was hit with a glare by two sets of the same brown eyes. He stopped in front of a large door and turned back to look at both of them.

"Now, I'm going to go in and see if Tsunade is busy, all right?" he asked in a soothing voice. Irukashi watched him with nervous eyes. "And I'll have to explain a few things, seeing as how we're just up and springing a new citizen on the hokage. Irukashi slowly swallowed and nodded in agreement.

"All right, Kakashi-sensei. If you think that's best." Irukashi's voice was soft and nervous, completely unlike her, and she was paler than normal. Iruka shot Kakashi a worried look as Kakashi opened the door to the hokage's office and stepped inside, closing it behind him. He could barely see Tsunade over all the paperwork she had stacked all across her desk. She looked up as she heard her door close and her mouth spread into a grimace.

"Hatake. Wonderful. And what exactly is it that _you_ want today?" Any other day, her world-weary voice would have made him secretly smile, but as anxious as he was today, it would take much more than that. He let out a soft sigh, preparing himself.

"I don't want to have to repeat myself, Tsunade-sama, so please try not to interrupt. Please believe me when I say that this is a matter of utmost importance to me." Tsunade's eyes widened at the tone of his usually cool, calm voice and pushed her paperwork aside.

"Go ahead, Kakashi." She clasped her fingers together and laid her lips on them. Her eyes widened and she added "Wait, you didn't go and get anyone pregnant or anything like that did you? Because that is one drama I'd rather not be a part of." Kakashi grimaced and shook his head slightly.

"No, Tsunade-sama. But I do need to tell you about my daughter." Tsunade's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and suspicion and she opened her mouth to ask questions but Kakashi held up his hand, stopping the words in their tracks. "I answered your question truthfully, Tsunade-sama. I got no one pregnant but yes, I have a daughter. But before I get to her, I have to tell you the story behind her birth." Kakashi sighed. Tsunade was practically twitching with the want to ask questions, but she was restraining herself, figuring Kakashi wouldn't answer them anyway. Kakashi took a deep breath and continued softly.

"Years ago, when Orochimaru still lived in the village," Tsunade's eyes widened at the mention of her old teammate, "he performed a countless number of experiments on the children of Konoha. Captain Yamato of the ANBU is an example of a survivor of one such experiment. At the same time the experiment being performed on him was taking place, Orochimaru started another experiment using only the DNA of some of the children of Konoha. Maybe he thought something could come out of it or maybe he just wanted something to do. I don't know and I'm not sure we ever will. However, before he could finish the experiment, the Third drove him out of the village.

"Three years later, the Third began extensively reading Orochimaru's notes, trying to find the reasons behind his madness. He was trying to see where he went wrong in his teachings to prevent such a thing from ever happening again. The Third happened upon the notes detailing the specifics of what he wanted to do with the DNA of Konoha's children and the notes he took detailing what was happening during his experiments. When reading this experiment, he rushed to Orochimaru's labs himself. There he found a newborn girl, who, instead of the regular nine-month gestation period, had been growing and developing for a total of nine years. He thought about destroying the child, but then he wondered why she should have been punished for merely being born. So, he took her and, in secret, began teaching her the shinobi ways until her parents, whose names he found in Orochimaru's notes, grew old enough to know the truth.

"The child in question, my daughter, is now fifteen years of age. I found out that she existed five years ago, along with her other parent, Umino Iruka. The Third named her Irukashi and she is one of the most loving, sweetest girls that I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. And I'm not saying that just because I have a fatherly bias." Kakashi finished with a small chuckle, smiling behind his mask at the memories that retelling the story brought up. Tsunade's eyes were wide and she was leaning forward, nearly on top of her desk.

"W-w," Tsunade cleared her dry throat and tried again. "Why haven't I been informed of this child sooner?" Shock covered every inch of Tsunade's voice. Kakashi didn't think he'd ever hear her sound like that before. He was starting to worry about her health, pale as she was. "Some…experiment…of Orochimaru's –"

"She's _not_ Orochimaru's," Kakashi interrupted venomously, any semblance of worry for his hokage gone in that instant, "she is her own person and no one else's. She was very nervous about meeting you and very excited but if you're going to look at my daughter and see only Orochimaru, then there is no chance in hell that you're seeing her. And if you even think of sending the ANBU after her, I'll –"

"Kakashi, Kakashi calm down." Tsunade shook her head as Kakashi continued to glare at her. He must really be attached to this child for him to have reacted as such. Tsunade held up her hands in surrender. "I'm not judging her or anything of the sort, Kakashi. I'm just shocked that anything of Orochimaru's, experiment or otherwise, made it past the ANBU or even the general populace." Kakashi nodded tersely, still not trusting her with his daughter.

"The Third kept her away from the ANBU, making sure her existence was kept a secret from them, and she's learned to stay inside almost all of the time in order to stay away from the public, but she's never understood why. No one has ever told her of her birth or where she came from. She's been taught how to use shinobi techniques, such as henge, so that she can go outside when there are people around, though even then she knows not to talk to them." Tsunade nodded slowly, putting the pieces together in her head.

"And why did you decide to bring her to see me now of all times?" Kakashi let out a soft sigh.

"Because she made a good point in an argument she had with Iruka last night. Iruka and I figured that we shouldn't keep her away from people anymore, now that she's old enough to take care of herself. With your permission, I'd like to take her on a mission with my team later today." Tsunade nodded, grabbing and opening the mission book she had sitting on her desk, looking through it.

"Yes, yes of course. Ah, there's a good C-rank here that's not too hard that I can give you. I suppose I'll have to administer a genin test on her, though with the both of you, plus Sarutobi-sama, training her, I doubt it's really necessary." Tsunade made a note in the book and put it away, looking back up at Kakashi. "So, when am I going to be able to meet her?" Kakashi examined her face for a moment. He saw no malice or hidden intent there, just open curiosity. Tsunade noticed his examinations and frowned slightly. "Do you really think me capable of harming a child, Hatake?"

"When Orochimaru is involved, I'm not sure what to expect from you, Tsunade-sama." Kakashi shot back. Tsunade sighed in exasperation and gave him a look, causing him to stiffen slightly.

"While I am upset with both you and Umino Iruka for keeping this child a secret from me for so long, I am not upset with the child in any way shape or form. Please, Kakashi, now you've gotten me curious about the child." Kakashi hesitated visibly. "I could make that an order, Hatake." Kakashi let out a sigh and went to the door, opening it. He saw Iruka sitting on a bench opposite the door with an arm around a slowly panicking Irukashi.

"Iru-chan, come on now. Tsunade's not busy after all! She'd love to see you! See, what did I tell you?" Kakashi's voice adopted a light, teasing tone. Irukashi's eye's trailed up to him and they widened. With a squeak she shot to her feet, smoothing her hair back and trying to smooth the wrinkles out of her clothes. She walked slowly into the office, her shoulders back and her head high but clutching Iruka's hand nervously. Tsunade pushed her paperwork aside and watched her as she came in. She definitely had the combined appearances of both of her "fathers". A bright red blush adorned Irukashi's face as she noticed Tsunade's examinations. She took a step behind Iruka, nervously trying to avoid Tsunade's scrutiny.

"Don't be shy, Irukashi. Introduce yourself and show a little respect. She's your hokage, remember?" Irukashi looked up at Iruka's teasing grin and took a shaky breath to steady herself. She stepped out from behind her tan father and bowed, keeping her eyes on the floor.

"G-Good morning, Tsunade-s-sama. My name is I-Iruk-kashi. I-It's w-wonderful to finally meet you." Tsunade gave a comforting smile to the trembling girl and stood up, walking around her desk so that she stood in front of it.

"It's very wonderful to meet you as well, Irukashi. Thank you for convincing Iruka and Kakashi to let me meet you." Irukashi slowly stood, still blushing, and Iruka put an arm around her shoulders, squeezing gently in silent pride. Tsunade shot a glance at Iruka and Kakashi and her nose wrinkled slightly as a thought came to mind.

"Hatake…Umino…the both of you have been raising Irukashi together, correct? Are you, well…_together_?" Kakashi and Iruka both gaped at their hokage, wide-eyed, before protesting so quickly and loudly that their voices overlapped each other and it was nearly impossible to make out single words. Tsunade met Irukashi's wide-eyed gaze and rolled her eyes, causing the young woman to smile slightly. At a louder volume, she said "I was only asking to try and find out whose surname she takes." They stopped protesting and looked at each other.

"Well, the subject has never come up before, I suppose. We've never discussed it before, at least," Iruka said slowly. Irukashi took another step forward and clasped her hands behind her back nervously.

"Tsunade-sama? I live with my Iruka-papa and I call him 'papa' and I get taught mostly by Kakashi-sensei so I call him 'sensei' even though he's my father too," she supplied softly. "Does that help?" Tsunade smiled at her.

"Yes it does, Irukashi. Thank you." She looked back over at Iruka and Kakashi. "I suggest that if you are going to introduce her to other people, she should take the Umino name." Iruka nodded in approval, smiling, as did Kakashi, who ruffled Irukashi's hair gently. Tsunade looked back over at Irukashi with a smile. "See? Now you can introduce yourself as Umino Irukashi. Catchy, ne?" Irukashi's face lit up with a smile and she turned to Kakashi, a skeptical expression on her face.

"Kakashi-sensei? I thought you said that Tsunade had a temper much worse than Iruka-papa's!" she accused, pouting slightly. Kakashi stiffened, a bead of sweat dripping down the back of his neck as Tsunade turned to glare at him. "She seems way too nice to have a temper as bad as that!"

"You just wait until Naruto or Jiraiya do something that causes her to have a new stack of paperwork. _Then_ you'll see her temper." Iruka smiled at Irukashi, winking playfully. Irukashi's eyes lit up and all the excitement she had been feeling before bubbled back up in her chest.

"Naruto? Uzumaki Naruto? I get to meet him too, right? And Haruno Sakura and Sai-san?" Her bright eyes shot up to Kakashi. "Isn't that what you said, Kakashi-sensei?" Kakashi lovingly ruffled her hair, nodding his head.

"Of course, Iru-chan. But you're going to have to ask Tsunade to make you a shinobi before you can go on any missions. Regardless of what she says, I'll take you to meet everyone, but in order to go on a mission –"

"You must be a shinobi!" Irukashi finished with a smile. Turning to Tsunade, she asked "Tsunade-sama, would you please administer the genin test to me? Iruka-papa and Sarutobi-sama didn't want me to have to go through the genin academy, but even without a formal education, I still know all of the basic jutsu. I promise I'll be able to take whatever you throw at me." Tsunade smiled at the teen's determination.

"As you wish. I will give you the same genin test that Uzumaki Naruto received. Umino, make three clones using the bunshin no jutsu." Irukashi nodded, forming the hand seals and almost immediately three exact replicas of herself appeared around her. Tsunade nodded. "Good job, you pass." Irukashi and her clones all widened their eyes at the same time and the clones disappeared in small plumes of smoke.

"That's it? That's the whole test? I pass?" Tsunade nodded, a grin on her face. Irukashi's face split into a large smile and she did a small spin where she stood. "I pass!" she laughed happily. Iruka hugged her, smiling at her laugh.

"Great job, Irukashi! I knew you could do it!" Irukashi giggled and hugged him tightly Kakashi ruffled her hair, proud and she smiled up at him. Tsunade cleared her throat. Irukashi looked over at her, the smile on her face dying as she looked at the hokage's expression.

"You forgot something, Umino Irukashi." Irukashi tensed, confused. Tsunade reached over her desk and rummaged through a drawer until she found a small object. The moment Irukashi blinked, Tsunade threw the object at her. On instinct, she reached up and caught it when it was mere inches away from her face. She pulled her palm down to look at the object clasped there and her eyes widened. She let out a happy, shocked gasp and her eyes shot to Tsunade at the sight of her very own hitai-ate.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama. Thank you so much!" Kakashi chuckled, ruffling her hair again playfully.

"C'mon, Irukashi. The others will need to know of our mission. You did ask to go on a mission, did you not?" Irukashi smiled brightly while Iruka frowned. He pulled the teen into a tight hug and kissed her forehead fiercely.

"Be safe," he whispered desperately. Irukashi leaned up and kissed him on the cheek before leaning down and meeting his gaze strongly.

"I will, Iruka-papa. I'm ready for this." Iruka smiled weakly and slowly let her go. Irukashi smiled and hurried over to Kakashi, tying her hitai-ate around her neck as she went. Kakashi smiled at her and took off running, Irukashi right on his heels. Iruka sighed and Tsunade came over and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. Kakashi will take care of her." Iruka nodded despondently and began walking out the door.

"I know. I trust him. But I've got a very bad feeling about this."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Irukashi**_

_Chapter Three_

Irukashi ran swiftly alongside Kakashi, their feet hardly touching the tiles of the rooftops. Irukashi had a large grin plastered across her face. It felt like they were really flying! Of course, she knew that shinobi could run at speeds much faster than a person not trained to rely on their chakra, but since Iruka didn't let her out of the house often enough to test her theory, she was experiencing all of this for the first time.

Soon enough, they were at a collection of small apartment buildings very similar to the one she and Iruka lived in. Kakashi ducked into a window, motioning for her to be still and quiet. Irukashi scowled slightly; two of her worst abilities. She sighed softly at being left behind and tried not to bring any attention to herself. A small flock of birds landed on the rooftop next to hers and she found herself with them on that rooftop before she could blink. After only a few heartbeats, one of the little birds landed on her finger and she felt its thoughts sinking into her body. The others soon found their own perches and gently touched her bare skin, allowing her to share in their thoughts.

"Irukashi," Kakashi's voice broke though her consciousness as she was sharing in one particular bird's memory of its first flight. "Irukashi," Kakashi repeated and the memory washed away, allowing reality to sink back in. Slowly but surely, the scene of flight was replaced with an image of Kakashi standing next to her.

"How long have I been standing there?" Her voice sounded loud and ringing in her own ears. The birds all took off, leaving her mind feeling empty and her senses fuzzy. She stumbled slightly and Kakashi caught her gently, smiling as he righted her and handed her a pack to be slipped onto her shoulders.

"Long enough for me to go and get you that. And long enough that we only have five minutes to get to the gate if we're going to be on time to meet the rest of my team for the mission." Irukashi's eyes widened in shock and she looked around quickly for the path to the gate. Kakashi gently nudged her in the right direction and she shot off. Kakashi shot after her, overtaking her easily. She squeaked in surprise and put on a burst of speed.

"Kakashi-sensei? What were you doing in that apartment building?" she asked curiously as soon as she caught up to him. She couldn't tell if she was getting the hang of the whole running thing or if he was slowing down in order to accommodate her. She suspected the latter and scowled slightly at herself.

"I was telling Naruto and Sai that they needed to meet us at the gate for our mission. Tsunade will probably have already told Sakura because –"

"Because she's Tsunade-sama's apprentice. And Naruto-san is Jiraiya-sama's apprentice." She paused for a moment. "And I suppose you could say that Sasuke-san is Orochimaru-sama's apprentice, couldn't you? I may not leave the house very often, but when the two of you talk, I usually listen. And I have a good memory." They were at the gate. Irukashi had never personally been there before, but she had seen it from Sarutobi-sama's office once, so she knew what it was. She hugged Kakashi around the middle, her arms wrapping around his waist. Kakashi stopped in surprise at the sudden gesture of affection. "I have a good memory, so I remember when Sasuke-san left and you weren't yourself for days." Kakashi let out a soft sigh and pressed his concealed lips to the top of her head, his arms reaching out and embracing her.

"It won't happen again, Irukashi. I promise. But I want you to promise me something as well. I want you to promise that on this mission, you will look out for yourself and only yourself. The rest of us have been on more dangerous missions than this. We know how to take care of ourselves. You have to look out for yourself. Promise me." Irukashi murmured her agreement, nervous again. Kakashi hugged her tightly. "I'll be here the whole time. I'll watch out for you. I just want you to be on guard."

"Ah, Kakashi-sensei. You finally found a girlfriend. Congratulations." Irukashi's head snapped up and she looked over at the person who had spoken. It was a teenage boy, probably a little older than her, with ink-black hair, flat black eyes and paper-white skin. He had a painfully fake smile plastered across his face. Kakashi gently pushed her away.

"No, Sai, she is not my girlfriend. She is _far_ from my girlfriend." Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting back a headache. Irukashi couldn't help a half-shocked, half-disgusted noise from escaping her lips. She took a few more steps away from Kakashi and let out a delicate shudder. Sure, she loved her Kakashi-sensei, but she didn't think of him like that! Sai opened his falsely-smiling mouth to say more, but everyone was distracted by the sound of more footsteps.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei! Are you on time for once or am I just really late?" The joking voice belonged to a teenage girl of around Irukashi's age with short, bright pink hair kept away from her face by her hitai-ate acting as a headband. Her fiery green eyes led Irukashi to believe that there was a dangerous, untamed temper behind her calm and easy façade. Those green eyes met Irukashi's own brown ones and Irukashi's gaze hit the ground shyly. She wished that she hadn't moved so far away from Kakashi-sensei and could at least hold his hand.

Before they could say anything else however, another boy ran up, yelling his apologies for being late. Irukashi's gaze lifted again and, as he took another step, she felt a shock go through her core and let out a gasp, her hand going to her chest. Unsure of what set off this reaction, she examined the newcomer more closely.

He was nearly a head taller than her with blonde hair that flew in every direction. The orange in his outfit was barely subdued by the black and, looking at him, she couldn't figure out how enemy shinobi couldn't see him from a mile away at least. His blue eyes met hers in open curiosity and for just one heartbeat, she was looking into a set of curious, red, animalistic orbs. The shock went through her again, so strong her knees buckled and she fell to her knees on the ground. Kakashi was by her side in an instant and she grabbed his hand to pull herself back up.

"I'm okay," she murmured, trying to convince herself as much as her silver-haired father. She took a deep breath, spreading her consciousness slowly in order to understand what had caused her to react in such a manner. To her surprise, she found a strange reading radiating off of the blonde boy.

"Who is the girl, Kakashi-sensei?" she heard the female voice ask before she could report her findings to Kakashi. Kakashi turned half-way towards her, his attention still on Irukashi. Before he could answer, however, someone else did.

"Oh, her? Apparently, that's Kakashi-sensei's lover!" The pale boy gushed with false enthusiasm. Before she even knew what she was doing, she had picked up a small rock and thrown it at him with all the force she could muster. The rock hit Sai right in between the eyes and the pale boy was sent sprawling backwards into the dust.

"I am _not_ his lover, you _bastard_!" she screamed hotly. She took another step towards him, but Kakashi put a warning hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently, letting her know she had gone too far. Irukashi's eyes shot open with shock and she put a hand to her mouth in horror. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't even realize what I was doing a-and –"

"Oh, don't even bother apologizing to him! He deserved it!" the pink-haired girl cut her off with a wide grin. She then turned to the dazed Sai, who was sitting in the dirt with a small trickle of blood running down his head from where the rock hit him. "See what happens when you make wild assumptions like that, Sai?" Sai nodded dumbly, his flat eyes wide. The blonde boy was doubled over himself, laughing hysterically. Even Kakashi let out a light chuckle as he leaned down to his blushing daughter's ear.

"Not to self: Irukashi does not take well to teasing." Irukashi blushed even worse. "You've certainly made an interesting impression, haven't you Iru-chan?" Irukashi hung her head, embarrassed and practically mortified by her first impression.

"Team Kakashi," the silver-haired jounin called, trying to get everyone's attention, though it wasn't really working. Sai was picking himself up off the ground and dusting himself off and the blonde boy was still doubled over laughing. The pink-haired girl was the only one that was even remotely paying attention. She hit the blonde upside the head and he stopped laughing, whining at her. Kakashi cleared his throat, bringing the attention back to him even though the blond was still rubbing his head gingerly.

"We are taking along a fifth member to our team on this mission. She will now introduce herself." Irukashi didn't hear him, still in her own mortified world. Kakashi gave her a light nudge and motioned to the three shinobi staring at her. She looked up and blushed again.

"M-my…my name is I-Iru- oh wait, I forgot, I'm sorry. My name is Umino Irukashi and it's n-nice to meet all of you. O-Oh, and I only got this," she pointed to the hitai-ate around her neck, "this morning, so if all of you would please bear with me, I am a very quick learner." The blonde openly gaped at her while Sai and the pink-haired girl just looked surprised.

"You're bringing a new genin on a C-ranked mission? Don't genin have to complete at least twenty D-ranked missions before even becoming eligible to go on a C-ranked mission?" Sakura asked skeptically. Kakashi hesitated for a moment before nodding slightly.

"Yes, technically, but Irukashi has never been ranked before. If Iruka would've let me, I'd have taken her out a long time ago. She was trained by the Third and then later by Iruka and I. If I would guess, I'd say she was past genin rank by now. Probably a chuunin. It's only the hitai-ate she got today." Irukashi nodded slightly.

"Yes. Iruka-papa says that I'm a higher rank than all of the genin he trains and he trains a lot of genin. More than my Kakashi-sensei!" The blonde boy suddenly came to life again, waving his arms around frantically to get her to stop.

"Wait, wait, wait! You introduced yourself as 'Umino' and you just called Iruka 'papa'! What the hell is going on here! You can't be Iruka's daughter! You're too pale!" He eyed her with scrutiny. She frowned.

"That's not true! I am too Iruka-papa's daughter! And –" Kakashi put his hand gently over the young teen's mouth, sighing.

"I will explain everything later. As of now, you and you," he pointed to the pink-haired girl and the blonde boy in turn, "introduce yourselves. I'm fairly certain she knows who _you_ are by now, Sai."

"Oh, I'm sorry, how rude of me. My name is Haruno Sakura. I'm this team's medical nin." Irukashi looked at her, her wide brown eyes curious and slightly confused.

"You are Tsunade-sama's apprentice, yes?" Sakura nodded. "Does she really have a terrible temper? I meet her this morning and she seemed liked a very pleasant lady. She was nothing but nice and calm." Irukashi tilted her head slightly to the side. Sakura laughed, the sound both amused and pained.

"Oh, she's got a temper all right. She's practically famous for it. You could ask Naruto if you want any first-hand experience, but I do not believe that Jiraiya's gone through the wall a few times. And that was only the light side of her temper." Irukashi's eyes widened in horror as Sakura laughed again. The blonde boy visibly shuddered, running through his own Tsunade incidents, and then grinned over at Irukashi.

"And my name is Uzumaki Naruto. It's nice to meet you." A large smile had spread across Irukashi's face and her eyes were wide and alight with excitement. Naruto's brow furrowed in confusion at her odd reaction.

"You're _the_ Uzumaki Naruto? It's so nice to finally meet you! I've been waiting for this moment for years! Iruka-papa and Kakashi-sensei talk about you all the time at dinner and when I lived with Sarutobi-sama, he always talked about how highly he thought of you!" She grabbed his hand and smiled widely. "I am very honored to meet you, future Hokage-sama!" Naruto grinned widely at her and then looked over at Irukashi, the grin still plastered all over his face.

"You know what, Kakashi-sensei? I don't care about where this girl came from or anything about her past! I like her!" Kakashi smiled and Sakura rolled her eyes. Naruto turned back to Irukashi. "It's nice to meet you too, Irukashi-chan!" Irukashi smiled happily and Naruto mirrored her. Kakashi cleared his throat and the four of them turned to look at him, the smile dropping off of Irukashi's face.

"It's about time we get to the border, all of you. We'll take it easy today, seeing as how we're getting started late anyway, and camp out before making it to the border tomorrow. Once we're there, we'll find out the specifics of our mission. Let's get started, shall we?" He shouldered his own pack before tossing Irukashi hers. She caught it easily, slipping it on her shoulders and hurrying to catch up with Kakashi as he lead the team through the gates and out of the village. Irukashi felt a thrill rush through her along with the ability to breathe easier. Naruto hurried to walk beside her and she again felt the shock go through her core. Making a mental note to ask Kakashi about it, she engaged Naruto in a flurry of conversation, asking him anything she could think of.

"What do you _mean_ you've never had ramen!" Naruto exclaimed once they were far enough from the village that you could no longer see the gate. All the birds in the area took to flight, startled. Irukashi pressed herself against Kakashi's side in startled surprise. "Ramen is the very breath of _life_! What has Iruka been _feeding_ you!" Naruto demanded. Irukashi blushed softly and looked down, fingering one of the straps of her bag.

"Iruka-papa doesn't feed me anything." Naruto's eyes widened in shock and Kakashi's visible eye widened at her implications. Irukashi's eyes widened and she shook her head violently. "I-it's not like Iruka-papa lets me _starve_ or anything! Iruka-papa just isn't a very good cook, so I'm the one who cooks most of the meals! But I'll be happy to eat ramen with you once we get back to Konoha! I'd love to see what it is about ramen that you like so much." Naruto smiled at her and she smiled back. Kakashi ruffled her hair gently and turned to look at all four of them.

"All right, everyone. The sun is setting and it's time to set up camp! Sakura, Sai. You two come with me and we'll find a good spot. Naruto, you watch after Irukashi for me. Stay near here. Move only if necessary." He motioned to Sakura and Sai and the three of them disappeared. Irukashi looked up at the darkening sky and shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.

"I've never been outside after dark before. Iruka-papa always said that it was far too dangerous. He said that even trained shinobi can lose their head in the dark because all the shadows look like they're hiding something." Naruto looked over at her, walking towards her. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her to him with a grin.

"Don't you worry a bit, Irukashi-chan! I promise that I'll protect you no matter the cost! Because you're my friend and friends protect each other!" Irukashi blushed gently at his smile and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, smiling herself.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun. You're the best."


End file.
